Dulaney stops Hereford's charge before it starts

Early score sows seeds for 2-0 upset of No. 10

October 02, 1999|By Katherine Dunn | Katherine Dunn,SUN STAFF

Dulaney took advantage of a slow start by No. 10 Hereford yesterday, scoring in the first four minutes to spark a 2-0 upset and take over sole possession of first place in Baltimore County's Heron Division.

Lindsey White scored first and Katie Babcock added an insurance goal with 1: 28 left in the game.

The Lions (5-1-1) remain the only unbeaten team (4-0) in a tight squeeze at the top of the county's tough Heron Division. A win over No. 8 Catonsville on Monday would put the Lions in good position to win the division.

The Comets (7-1) are second in the division at 4-1 followed by two teams the Lions have already beaten -- Hereford and Perry Hall, with identical overall (4-2-1) and division records (4-1-1).

In the opening minutes yesterday, the host Lions drove quickly into the Bulls' circle. Dulaney couldn't convert its first penalty corner 1: 23 into the game, but White found the angle two minutes later.

Nicole Govignon sent White a pass wide to the right in the circle about 5 yards off the endline, and White nailed a shot toward the cage. Babcock watched from the far post.

"When Lindsey shot across I was there, but it never got there," Babcock said. "The other team actually scored it. It went off the back of a defender's foot."

The early goal shocked the three-time defending county champs.

"I felt like we were climbing out of a 10-foot hole afterward and we just couldn't quite get there," said Bulls senior Jodi Anderson. "We started off slow expecting them to be a slower team, and we just let that one slip by."

The Bulls rebounded from the slow start and dominated the second half. They had nine penalty corners in the half but struggled without key corner Jen Marsteller, who may be out for the season with pneumonia.

Of the four shots the Bulls took in the half, two, however, came particularly close.

With 20: 40 left, Melanie Schwarzmann took a shot from the right side that Jordan tried to kick away, but she mistimed her kick. The ball came in slower than she expected and rolled under her foot as she kicked. Leo, however, was positioned behind Jordan and cleared the ball.

On a penalty corner with 13: 37 left, Anderson had an open close-range shot to a wide space between Jordan and the right post, but she shanked the ball wide.

The Lions managed their two shots of the half in the final five minutes, but Babcock made the last one count. This time, the White's cross came to her and she deflected it inside the left post.

"I felt when we started to pick it up in the last four or five minutes that we would score," Babcock said. "We realized we needed another goal.